With DAP contesting in Padungan, the prospect of the opposition party winning extra seats looks even brighter, said the director of Open University Malaysia (OUM), Professor Dr Frank Kiong.
Meanwhile the opposition dream of capturing the Bidayuh seats in the April 16 state election will remain a dream as the voters support towards the opposition is eroding from day to day.
Dr Frank said initially the Bidayuh support toward PKR was strong but after one by one of the problems crops, the real colour of the opposition party was exposed and the Bidayuh are now confused especially voters in seats contested b
y SUPP candidates (Bengoh and Opar).
All the six Bidayuh seats will still go to Barisan Nasional (BN) although it was very obvious the Bidayuh are against SUPP,” said Dr Frank in an interview with Sarawak Mirror.
The six Bidayuh seats are Opar, Tasik Biru, Bengoh, Tarat, Tebedu and Kedup.
Dr Frank said that more Chinese seats will be taken away from SUPP by DAP in the coming election as the Chinese voters are no longer believing in SUPP.
“SUPP is going to survive because of the Dayak seats but the question asked now is what would the Chinese leaders do for the Dayak after the election or if they still want to survive in the next election,” Dr Frank said.
He believes SUPP will still get votes from the Dayak but not in the next election because by the next few years there will be more young registered Dayak voters and by then the Dayak voice will be heard.
Dr Frank who is also the president of the Bidayuh Graduates Association (BGA) said the young generation of the Bidayuh were more vocal following the many issues cropping and affecting the community.
In the Malay/Melanau seats, Dr Frank said PBB would be able to maintain all the seats because the leaders had brought a lot of development to the communities.
He said DAP will be quite domain party in the opposition front while PKR have to settle their internal disputes and really have to work as a team with consistent contact with the grass root supporters.
Dr Frank also said Baru Bian and Nicholas Bawin will not win the seats there going to contest but will be able to reduce the votes’ majority of the BN’s candidates in Ba’kalalan and Batang Ai respectively.
“This is because the older voters will again play the role as they are always staunch supporters of BN.
“That is already the attitude of the old people who always feel ‘berhutang budi” (indebted) to BN for bringing the development to their village and area,” he said.
According to Dr Frank the older voters always make comparison of the hard life during their younger days and the development taking place these days as well as the better living they are enjoying now.
For SNAP, Dr Frank said the opposition party really needs to clean its image.
“More professionals should be invited into the boat to get ready for the next election. Majority of the Dayak wants to revive the party but they wanted to see new and younger group of people leading the party,” he said.
Commenting of the failed attempt by the Opposition Front to compromise on seats allocation among them, Dr Frank said it was because of their ego.
“They all said they have winnable candidates and they have the fund but let see if the money are really coming,” he said.
Dr Frank if only the opposition parties could resolve the seat’s allocation and straight fights in all the 71 seats then it would be tough for BN and there would possibility the Opposition Front forming the next state government
He said there are two factions of professionals in the Dayak communities, with one group talking about reviving SNAP as party “asal” for the Dayak and the same group that did not agree to West Malaysian parties coming to rule the state.
The other group, he said wanted to use the West Malaysian parties as the mean to topple the present state government since SNAP is still not ready to play that role.
“This group wanted to revive, strengthening and prepare SNAP for the big way in the next election,” said Dr Frank.
Dr Frank said initially PKR’s candidate line-up were all professionals but now they are Tom, Dick and Harry.
He said PKR also has yet to reveal its manifesto, thething which the people of Sarawak are anxiously waiting.
On Bengoh seat, Dr Frank said BN’s Dr Jerip will still win as he believes the Opposition are split, and will further split with the inclusion of an Independent candidate joining the fray for a-four-corner fight.
With both SNAP and PKR placing their candidates in all the six Bidayuh seats to contest against BN’s candidates, Dr Frank believes the chances of the Opposition winning any one of the seats are as good as zero.
“With fours candidates expecting in the fray in Bengoh, it will be an advantage for Dr Jerip but if it is straight right with PKR’s Willie Mongin, PKR may win,” he added.
As for SNAP, he said the party should put a more creditable candidate, someone who can do changes and transformation if he won.
Dr Frank pointed out that in the Bidayuh area the people who are making the ‘huh ha’ are the young people or the x generation who themselves are not registered voters.
Thus, he suggested that effort should be made to encourage young Bidayuh to register themselves as voters.
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